Gujarat businessman who barred his employees from doing AAP's publicity joins BJP
Ahmedabad(PTI): A diamond businessman from Gujarat, who barred his employees from canvassing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has joined the ruling BJP ahead of the state Assembly polls due later this year.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP criticised the move, claiming the BJP was promoting curbs on the free will of citizens.
Diamond businessman Dilip Dhapa from Surat was inducted into the BJP at the party headquarters 'Shree Kamalam' on Tuesday evening.
Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil shared a photo of Dhapa's induction on his Twitter account.
"I welcome Surat-based diamond businessman Dilip Dhapa into the BJP at Shree Kamalam. He had barred his factory employees from doing publicity of revdi seller's party and also warned that anyone found doing so will be sacked from the job. He did this voluntarily," Paatil tweeted.
Notably, AAP national convener Kejriwal has offered a number of sops to the people of Gujarat if his party is voted the power. The BJP has called his poll promises as "revdi" or freebies.
AAP national joint general secretary Isudan Gadhvi attacked Paatil for showering praises on a person who wants to curb free will of people.
"In a democracy, people are free to choose a party they want to vote for. Do you want to turn Gujarat into a gunda-raj by felicitating someone who had snatched people's right to choose and also threatened to sack workers from their jobs?" Gadhvi asked in a tweet.
"From where do you get such a low mentality? On one hand, you cannot give jobs to people. Now, under you, Gujaratis are losing their existing jobs," he claimed.
It is time for Gujarati people to wake up, Gadhvi added.
Ahead of the Assembly elections, Kejriwal has announced several "guarantees" for the people of Gujarat, including free electricity up to 300 units per month, 10 lakh government jobs and unemployment allowance for youth.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
